Towns sue over Cuomo’s Oneida Nation deal

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be required to defend the deal he entered into with the Oneida Indian Nation, according to an order signed on Monday by Acting State Supreme Court Justice Roger D. McDonough.
Vernon and Verona sued the state, Madison County and Oneida on Monday, claiming the May agreement entered into with the operators of Turning Stone casino is illegal. The judge ordered a show cause hearing for Sept. 13 in Albany.
The two towns complain that the deal calls for a quid pro quo in that the Oneida must support Cuomo’s constitutional amendment to allow for casinos in upstate as long as they are outside the exclusive territory that Cuomo assured the tribe.
The deal guarantees the tribe a monopoly on gambling in central New York in
exchange for their support of a proposed expansion of casinos, said the towns’ lawyer, Cornelius Murray of Albany.
The proposed change to the state Constitution is expected to be the top ballot referendum in November.
“The agreement is sound, has been approved by democratic votes in the relevant county legislatures, and settles longstanding issues between the state and local governments and the Oneidas,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi. “This suit is unfounded and the allegations in it have no basis in reality.”
The governor signed a memorandum of understanding with Oneida leader Ray Halbritter that calls for the state and counties to drop out of a suit challenging the tribe’s quest to add 25,000 acres of land in central New York to its tax-free territory.
“The agreement is sound, has been approved by democratic votes in the relevant county legislatures, and settles longstanding issues between the state and local governments and the Oneidas,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi. “This suit is unfounded and the allegations in it have no basis in reality.”